An overview of HATS: a language independent high assurance transformation system

Transformations that are based on syntax directed rewriting systems can have a significant impact on the construction of high assurance systems. However, in order for a transformational approach to be useful to a particular problem domain, a (general) transformation system must be adapted to the notation of that particular domain. A transformation system that can be easily adapted to various domain notations has the potential of having a wide range of applicability. We discuss why transformation is attractive from a high assurance perspective, as well as some issues surrounding automated transformation within specific problem domains. We then give an overview of a language independent high assurance transformation system (HATS) that is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories.